Shadowing Practice: American English Connected Reading | Business English: A meeting at a tech company - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Hey, what's up?
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It's Alex.
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Today, let's look at the connected sounds in a short excerpt
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from a meeting at a tech company where somebody is talking about fixing a problem.
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Let's take a look.
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I just wanted to update everyone.
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I just wanted.
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So here, just wanted, that T gets dropped.
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Just wanted.
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I just wanted.
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Now here, wanted, the T in the middle of wanted gets completely removed too.
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wanted wanted to update and this is interesting
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because we could say to update with a wuh sound in the middle
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or we could just relax speak quickly
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and say to update to update I just wanted to update
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I just wanted to update everyone update everyone update everyone that's a very light T at the end
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and it connects to the e in every.
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I just wanted to update everyone about the website issues people were reporting. About the. About the.
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That t at the end of about gets connected to the the in the. About the.
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About the website issues.
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Website issues.
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Now here there's a tap t.
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Website issues.
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Website issues.
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Website issues.
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Website issues.
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People were reporting.
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People were.
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Now that L sound before a W sound gets reduced.
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People were.
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It's not a very strong people were.
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There's not a strong L there.
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People were reporting.
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Now we have two r sounds right next to each other. Were reporting.
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And they just link together.
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People were reporting.
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About the website issue is people were reporting.
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We found the bug yesterday.
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We found the, found the, the D and TH connect together.
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Found the, found the bug yesterday.
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G and Y.
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It doesn't make a new sound, but you can hear it kind of connects.
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G, yesterday, found the bug yesterday.
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G, yesterday, we found the bug yesterday.
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And pushed out a fix.
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And pushed, that D in and gets removed.
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and pushed and pushed out a fix.
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Pushed out a fix.
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The D and the OW sound connect together, and the T and the UH sound connect together.
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Pushed out a fix.
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The D and the OW sound connect together and the T and the UH sound connect together.
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Pushed out a fix.
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Pushed out a fix early this morning.
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Pushed out a fix early this morning.
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So here this gets reduced very heavily.
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Early this, this, this, the vowel and the the sound both get reduced.
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They're spoken very quickly without a really full sound.
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This, this, early this morning.
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It should have only affected.
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It should have.
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So here, it turns into it.
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It should.
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It should.
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It's a glottal stop instead of a T in it.
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It should have only.
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Now here, have, should have turns into should've.
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It should have only affected a handful of users.
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Handful.
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That D in handful is either really, really light or not there at all.
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Handful.
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Handful.
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Both are okay, with or without the D.
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A handful of users.
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And here, of gets reduced.
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You could say handful of users, handful of users, or handful of users.
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Both are okay.
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We can have a v sound or nothing.
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Handful of users.
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Both are okay.
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Handful of users running older browsers.
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We'll keep an eye out.
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We'll keep an eye out.
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That will turns into will.
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The L at the end of will gets reduced and it's not really a full L sound.
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It's more like a vowel.
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Will, will keep.
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Now, this reduction only works in fast speech.
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You've got to say the L if you're speaking slowly and clearly.
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Will keep, will keep an eye out.
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Or, will keep, will keep an eye out.
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Will keep an eye out for any new bug reports.
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Now, two things here.
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With for, we turn for into fur.
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Fur, like there's no vowel at all.
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and then out before an F, before any consonant sound, turns into out with a glottal stop.
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Out for any.
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Out for any.
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We'll keep an eye out for any new bug reports.
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I just wanted to update everyone about the website issues people were reporting.
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We found the bug yesterday and pushed out a fix early this morning.
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It should have only affected a handful of users running older browsers.
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We'll keep an eye out for any new bug reports.

Context & Background

In today's video, we explore a business meeting at a tech company where the speaker discusses fixing website issues reported by users. The dialogue offers a rich opportunity to analyze connected speech, a key element in American English. Understanding how native speakers blend words and sounds can significantly enhance your listening skills and improve English pronunciation. In this context, the speaker employs casual, conversational tones typical in a professional setting, making it an excellent resource for advanced learners looking to refine their shadow speech techniques.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • I just wanted to update everyone – A common phrase used to initiate a brief on any topic.
  • About the website issues – This phrase is useful when discussing technical problems and invites further dialogue.
  • We found the bug yesterday – A straightforward way to inform colleagues about problem-solving findings.
  • Pushed out a fix – Indicates that a solution has been implemented and is crucial in tech discussions.
  • People were reporting – To acknowledge feedback from users, which is essential in a professional context.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To effectively utilize the content of this video to enhance your English skills, follow these steps for shadow speaking:

  1. Listen Carefully: Start by listening to the excerpt to familiarize yourself with the flow of speech and connected sounds.
  2. Identify Key Phrases: Focus on the five phrases listed above. Pay special attention to the way they are pronounced and connected.
  3. Repeat & Imitate: Use shadow speech by mimicking the speaker’s tone, rhythm, and intonation. Practicing these phrases will help you improve English pronunciation.
  4. Practice Linking Sounds: Focus on the specific sounds that connect, such as "I just wanted" and "about the." Notice how certain consonants blend or drop, and imitate these nuances during your practice.
  5. Record Yourself: After shadowing, record your voice. Listening back will help you identify areas for improvement in your pronunciation and intonation.

By integrating these practices into your routine, you will enhance your understanding of American English and take significant steps toward becoming more confident in your speaking abilities through effective shadowspeak techniques.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.